GM Promises All-Electric 2017 Chevy Bolt in Late 2016

Not even a year has passed since January’s debut of the all-electric Bolt EV. ButChevrolet promises to deliver the EV before the year ends. Specifically, in the fourth quarter.

General Motors and Chevrolet haven’t announced actual pricing yet. However, GM’s North American President Alan Bateysays it will sell below the average price of a U.S. car after federal tax rebates. Currently, it’s expected to sticker for around $30,000. (The average price of a new car these days runs about $33,000.)

The Bolt will go on sale in all 50 states unlike some other EVs. Chevy says the 5-seater will offer a 200-mile plus range.

Chevy started building pre-production models back in March at GM’s Orion Assembly plant. The Orion plant was recently ranked the 8th Greenest Power User by the U.S. EPA. It operates with 54-percent renewable energy from an EPA Green Power Partnership Partner, which saves the brand about $1 million annually.

It will be interesting to see how sales go. Public interest in EVs hasn’t been as high recently due to low gas prices. However, Chevy notes its hybrid Volt continues to sell with sales up 74.5 percent in the first half of 2016. Chevy’s sold about 9,800 of them so far this year.

The Bolt will also take on the new Tesla Model 3. It’s expected to be about $5,000 cheaper than the Tesla. With its 2016 debut it also clearly beats the Model 3 to the market. So much so that Batey notes that it will have 18 months of ‘real world’ experience over the Tesla.

The Model 3 is due out by the end of 2017. Tesla just locked up the final design plans for the four-door two weeks ago, according to Automotive News. CEO Elon Musk says the automaker is on schedule to start building the Model 3 next summer.